Fray Juan Baptist Maíno or Mayno (1678-1649)
We perform Fray Juan Baptist Maíno art authentication, appraisal, certificates of authenticity (COA), analysis, research, scientific tests, full art authentications. We will help you sell your Fray Juan Baptist Maíno or we will sell it for you.
Fray Juan Baptist Maíno was a Spanish painter during the Baroque era. Maíno was the son of a Portugese nobleman who served the Duchess of Pastrana. It is believed that Maíno was the assistant of the famous court painter, El Greco, but little hard documentation can be found as proof.
It is known that Maíno spent eight years, from 1600 to 1608, studying and working in Italy. In Italy Maíno came to know the work of Caravaggio, and his disciples, Orazio Gentileschi, Guido Reni and Annibale Carracci.
Through Maíno’s studies he developed his own style, which referenced classicism, naturalism, and tenebrism. Maíno eventually returned to Spain and settled in Toledo and began to work on a commissioned altarpiece, which now belongs to the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Two of the panels, Adoration of the Magi and Adoration of the Shepherds, are some of his most highly regarded pieces.
In 1613, Maíno entered the Order of Santo Domingo and lived in the monastery on San Pedro Martyr. As a member of the order, Maíno spent less time painting, but did make various biblically themed pieces.
Later in his life, Maíno forged a friendship with Diego Velazquez who chose Maíno in a public contest to create a historical painting to be displayed in the Palace of Madrid. Sadly, the painting was later destroyed during a fire in 1734.
Maíno remined religious until the end of his life, and died in the convent of Saint Thomas, Madrid. Maíno’s paintings are now in major museum collections around the world. The Museo del Prado in Madrid boasts a strong collection of Maíno’s work. Do you think you own a painting by Juan Baptist Maíno? Contact us. We are the experts.